


I Will Always Be Your Shield

by CitrusKix



Category: Melty Blood (Video Game), Tsukihime
Genre: Blood, Blood and Violence, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, Churches & Cathedrals, Constructive Criticism Welcome, F/F, Gun Violence, Knights - Freeform, Lesbian Vampires, Magic, Mild Gore, Post-Canon, Vampires, Violence, alchemist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:47:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25421122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CitrusKix/pseuds/CitrusKix
Summary: Sion Eltnam Atlasia, an alchemist, and Riesbyfe Stridberg, a knight, change each other’s lives, starting with their first encounter.
Relationships: Sion Eltnam Atlasia/Riesbyfe Stridberg
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4





	I Will Always Be Your Shield

Riesbyfe Stridberg, the Maiden of the Holy Shield. One of the most capable members of the Church, said to have the ability to exert the force of 100 tons with the usage of a single punch. She was most certainly someone to be reckoned with.

And yet, that never seemed to phase a certain alchemist.

Sion Eltnam Atlasia, a member of the Mage’s Association and part of the revered Eltnam family. Thanks in part to her training as a magus, she was recognized as being a competent alchemist, able to calculate intensive computational problems on the fly when faced with a threat. She too, in her own right, was a force to be reckoned with.

And yet, that never seemed to phase a certain knight.

While both women were seen as powerful figures in their respective forces, they were comrades in combat. And, thanks to the passage of time, they became close friends to one another.

But Riesbyfe secretly yearned for more than just a mere friendship.

The charm that Sion emitted was immediately made known to Riesbyfe when they met for the first time, three years ago. The Church had identified the presence of TATARI in a remote town in the Italian countryside. They reached out to the Mage’s Association in an attempt to gain support for the expedition, and Sion was the one to respond to their plea.

“I am Sion Eltnam Atlasia, and I am a magus from the Mage’s Association,” she said as she introduced herself to the members of the Church upon her arrival. “It is a pleasure to work alongside the Church for an occasion such as this.” She bowed to Riesbyfe and the other members of the Church.

“And I am Riesbyfe Stridberg, the Maiden of the Holy Shield,” she responded once the alchemist looked back up from her now. “I will be your partner on your expedition. Though, er, you may want to lay off a bit on the formalities.”

Riesbyfe’s offhanded comment about Sion’s formalities took the latter off guard momentarily. Sion cleared her throat to disrupt the increasingly awkward air around them and inquired “Is there a particular issue with my mannerisms, Miss Stridberg?”

“Er, well... how do I put this...?” Riesbyfe almost uncharacteristically mumbled as she fidgeted with her fingers. “If we are to be comrades in combat... I would like for us to at least be comfortable with each other around. Formalities are understandable, especially in a situation such as this, but the bond between those involved may be stronger than the individual’s resolve. If united... humanity can be strong.”

The alchemist’s eyes widen slightly, clearly not expecting the reasoning that she was given. But that momentary surprise morphed into a gentle smile with softened eyes. “Those are very wise words, Miss Stridberg,” she commented. “Indeed, the strength of the bond between comrades in combat may turn the tides of a battle. Such a variable must always be accounted for, even in day to day situations. So allow me to apologize. ...And I must ask; what would you like me to call you?”

“...Riesbyfe. You may call me Riesbyfe.”

“...Very well. Thank you for being my partner in this expedition... Riesbyfe.”

“I should be thanking you for accepting our plea for help. So... thank you, Sion.”

“...You’re welcome.”

But the pleasantries weren’t destined to last. The expedition ended in absolute tragedy. Due to neither of the girls wielding only normal Conceptual Weapons, they were unable to overpower and defeat the metaphysical nature of TATARI. But TATARI was easily able to overwhelm them in response to their attack.

It came in the form of materializations that the two’s Conceptual Weapons could attack. Almost as if TATARI was taunting them for their inability to attack it properly. They spawned in large quantities, appearing faster than the duo could manage to take down. Their backs were pressed together as they desperately slaughtered the manifestations, looking for a way out.

“Riesbyfe, my Barrel Replica is running low on ammunition!” Sion shouted. “Cover me so I can reload!” The alchemist scurried off over to a corner amongst heaps of scrap metal and abandoned gardening equipment. The knight rushed over and fended off a small handful of the creatures as they attempted to swarm the girls. The click of the magazine being loaded into the gun-like weapon affirmed to Riesbyfe that Sion was ready to fight once more. But as she turned her head around to see her comrade, she noticed a creature behind her, gearing up for an attack. So she made a split second decision, and reacted.

“Sion! Watch out!”

The knight shoved the alchemist aside as the beast that was once behind her roared and shoved large claws deep into Riesbyfe’s chest, instantly causing her the cough up blood and to howl in agony. All Sion could do was watch her comrade be impaled by the monster TATARI had made to kill her, laying on the ground, helpless.

The world seemed to freeze around the alchemist. Time seemed to have stopped moving. Her eyes refused to move, locked on to the horrid visage of someone who wanted nothing more than to protect her be brutally stabbed through the chest by the large drill-like fingers. But, amidst the chaos and carnage of the scene, Sion couldn’t help but notice how the light of the full moon gleamed on the knight’s silver hair. It was graceful... yet something so utterly terrifying that the sight of it burned itself into the depths of her mind.

The monster that TATARI made pulled its appendages out of the large punctures that it made in Riesbyfe’s chest, and the now limp body of the Maiden of the Holy Shield plopped down onto the grass in a rather unceremonious manner. Her life was gone, just like that. And the fact of it all practically broke Sion.

“Ries...by-?”

She didn’t even get the chance to finish her question when she felt the sharp pain of two fangs bury themselves into her neck, and the alchemist was quickly brought back to reality. She was in the middle of combat. She couldn’t worry about her fallen comrade. She was outnumbered. She had to flee.

Punting the TATARI manifestation off and feeling its teeth rip off a small portion of the flesh around her neck, Sion swiftly got up from her position on the ground beneath her and shot away at a few of the materializations before turning her heels around and booking it, covering up the now bleeding wound from her neck as she ran. She needed immediate medical attention.

As she managed to duck behind an abandoned and slowly crumbling stone building, Sion winced in pain as she pulled the small bandage wrap she kept in her back pocket and rushed to wrap it around her neck in a desperate effort to seal the wound. Had she the power to do so, she’d rather cauterize it, but in her predicament, the bandage would have to do.

Sion’s breathing steadied as she allowed herself to relax, though she quivered in disgust as she could feel the bandage soak up the blood pouring out from the ripped flesh on her neck. It was a sensation she felt as though wasn’t pleasant in any way possible, but knew she had to put up with it for the time being. The alchemist slumped over against the side of the wall, hearing the beasts TATARI created growl and parole the rural paths of the village, before they seemed to subside. Sion took this as an opportunity to do something she felt as though she needed to do.

Making her way back over to the knight’s corpse, now surrounded in a puddle of her own blood gushing out from the cavities in her chest, the alchemist knelt beside her and looked down at her fallen comrade with a pained expression. She silently sat beside her there for a minute before speaking up.

“Riesbyfe,” she started with a small pained crackle in her voice, “I’m sorry that you had to die in such a way. I... I was careless. I could’ve died, had you not shoved me aside. But, because you did... you took the hit. You took my hit. You died in my place. ...It’s supposed to be laying there in your place.” Tears began to roll down her face. “And now... look at me. I’m injured. I couldn’t even manage to keep myself safe after your sacrifice.”

Sion wiped away her tears, only to feel new ones form in their place. “But... I wanted to thank you,” she continued. “You taught me one important thing in the short time we were together. We were comrades... but we were also... friends. You taught me the importance of friends, both in and out of combat. And for that, I will always be indebted to you.” She gingerly reached out to the widened expression on Riesbyfe’s face, and delicately lowered the girl’s eyelids down until they were closed. She looked peaceful, and Sion gave a pained smile. “Farewell, Riesbyfe,” she bid. “I will live on for you.”

Staying by her side for just a moment longer, Sion rose off of the ground and dusted herself off, ignoring the blood that her outfit had soaked up, and turned around to walk off. As she walked down the trodden path, she looked up at the moon. It was full and gleaming light down upon the village. But at the same time, the alchemist could feel the presence of TATARI in the rays of moonlight. She refused to say anything but one sentence as a response to TATARI’s silent beckoning.

“I refuse to succumb to your will.”

Sion managed to fly back to Atlas Academy the following day, though she refused to come out of the restroom the entire trip until they arrived back in Egypt, due to how she didn’t want other people to see just how stricken with grief she had become. By the time they have arrived, it was night time already. The alchemist made a beeline for her room, and locked herself in. Crawling into her bed and curling up into a ball, Sion covered her face as she wept silent tears against the fabric of her pillow for what she felt to be an eternity.

By the time the alchemist had managed to muster up the courage to get up from her bed and move around her room, it was already morning. Oddly enough, the alchemist felt no sense of tiredness, despite the events that had transpired just hours earlier. She sulked over to the curtains that shielded the light coming from the sky outside, and grabbed ahold of both ends with her hands. “Let’s just... try to move on,” she muttered to herself under her breath. “Just don’t forget her. Don’t ever forget about Riesbyfe.”

However, she wasn’t prepared for the scorching heat of the sun’s rays beating down on her window when she pulled apart the curtains.

Her skin boiled at the exposure to the sun’s rays, and she let out a bloodcurdling scream of agony in response to the sudden sensation. She instinctively went back to shut the curtains closed, gritting her teeth at the excruciating pain she was feeling over what would’ve otherwise been a menial and mindless task. Panting heavily and resting her hands on her knees, Sion could tell something about her had changed since the encounter at the village. So she swiftly walked over to the full body mirror she kept along one of the walls.

Her body was a bloodied red, with splotches of black inked all over. Skin was peeling off of her arms, neck, legs, face, and more, and certain areas were scorched by the sun’s rays to the point of them almost being charred. Her eyes were bloodshot red, and bits of her hair and eyebrows were even singed. But the thing that freaked the alchemist out about her new appearance was how fast it healed. Within a few moments, all of her newly founded blemishes had healed themselves, leaving only small nicks and blemishes on her skin where the injuries once were.

If the fact that she was being burned alive by the sun wasn’t enough to clue her in, her new regenerative powers for sure affirmed to Sion in her mind that she was now a Dead Apostle.

The alchemist quickly came to realize that the events that had transpired at the village where Riesbyfe was killed by the TATARI manifestations was responsible for her newfangled powers. She checked the wound where one of the creatures had torn at her flesh in her escape; it had mostly healed over alongside all of the other wounds sustained from the sun’s exposure on her skin. Sion dryly laughed under her breath; such an event gave her powers that others could only want to have for themselves, at the cost of something even greater.

Time had passed for a while until the sun had set outside her window. Only small flickers of sunlight shone through the cracks in her curtains, and they began to fade as time lapsed. It was at this time that Sion had decided that she would go out on an adventure and search for a person who could help her with her newly found powers. And one particular name came to her mind; Arcueid Brunestud.

Arcueid’s names was mentioned a few times in her magus classes back when she was a new student at Atlas, Sion recalled. She was a powerful vampire who was well acquainted with Dead Apostles, so much so that even the Twenty-seven Dead Apostle Ancestors felt threatened by her mere existence. The alchemist had rationalized that if anyone knew anything about becoming a Dead Apostle and any potential way to revert back to being a human, it would be her.

But she needed time to prepare. Research had to be done, assignments and tasks had to be completed - all while hiding the fact that Sion was now begrudgingly a Dead Apostle, much to her horror and chagrin - , and preparations had to be made for an indefinite travel. Sion calculated that it would take approximately three years to do everything that she needed to do before going on her expedition to find Arcueid, so she waited for the opportunity to arise. And when it did, she immediately seized it and left to solve the mystery.

Traveling out to Arcueid’s last known location led Sion to a decently sized Japanese village called Misaki Town. It held urban elements, yet still retained many of the unique characteristics that usually accompanied a Japanese village, which the alchemist found to be intriguing. But her primary objective was to find Arcueid and ask her for help with her newly formed vampiric powers.

Wandering around the many alleyways that littered Misaki Town, the alchemist eventually lost herself in her own thoughts, so much so that she wasn’t paying much attention to what was directly in front of her. That came back to bite her when she ended up bumping into a schoolgirl in one of the alleyways, knocking the schoolgirl down onto the hard concrete floor.

“Kyah-!” she screamed and she hit the pavement. “Th-That hurt a lot!”

The sound of the schoolgirl’s scream and the thud of her body on the floor brought Sion back to her senses, whipping her attention to the schoolgirl as she sat there, rubbing her hand on a sore spot on her hip. “Oh, my apologies for knocking you over,” Sion apologized. “Please, allow me to help you up.” She extended her arm out to the schoolgirl, who took her up on her offer and let Sion hoist her up off of the floor.

“Thank you for helping me up,” the schoolgirl thanked her. “Sorry for bumping into-“ She paused with a look of surprise on her face when she saw Sion’s face, leaving the alchemist slightly confused.

“Are you okay, miss?” Sion asked. “You seem dazed.”

“...Sion? Is that you?”

The sudden realization dawned on the alchemist when her name was uttered by the schoolgirl. The person she had bumped into was none other than her pen pal, Satsuki Yumizuka. Sion had completely forgotten that Satsuki lived in Misaki Town.

“...Oh! Indeed, it is. A pleasure to see you in person, Miss Yumizuka,” Sion greeted her. “My sincerest apologies for failing to recognize you earlier. Your hair is quite... different than what I remembered.”

“Oh God, please don’t remind me of that one haircut...” Satsuki cringed. She laughed it off after a moment, as if to dispel the thought from her mind, or at the very least to push it back to the depths of her mind where it came from. “So!” Satsuki started. “What brings you to Misaki Town?”

“I’m looking for a woman who may be able to help me with a particular... issue I’m currently facing,” Sion explained. “Her last known whereabouts were here in Misaki Town, so I figured coming here would be a great clue as to her current location.”

“I might be able to help with that,” Satsuki chirped. “I know most people here, and I spend lots of nights wandering these streets - please don’t ask why I do that - so I might know her. What’s her name?”

The alchemist hesitated for a moment before uttering out “Her name is Arcueid Brunestud.” She was expecting a certain reaction from Satsuki... but not what she actually got.

“Oh, I know her! She’s Shiki-kun’s friend!”

Satsuki’s response to Sion’s question threw the alchemist off a bit. There was a new person in her expedition to find Arcueid. But that person seemed to be her best method of contacting Arcueid, so she decided to ask more about him.

“I’m unfamiliar with this Shiki person,” Sion admitted. “May you explain to me who he is, and what kind of person he may be?”

“Oh, sure!” Satsuki agreed. She cleared her throat, and began to talk. “So, his full name is Shiki Tohno, and he’s a second year high schooler attending Misaki Municipal High School. He’s about average height, with black hair and black eyes. Oh, and he wears these big rounded glasses too. I think he should be out on a walk right about how? You should consider checking the alleyways nearby the park at the center of town; he might end up being there.”

Sion nodded along with what Satsuki was saying, keeping track of all the details she was divulging onto the alchemist about Shiki. When Satsuki finished speaking, Sion politely bowed as a sign of thanks. “Thank you for sharing everything you know about him with me,” she said. “Please excuse me as I go look for him.”

Satsuki nodded. “Alright, take care and stay safe,” she bid the alchemist. Sion flashed her a small smile of gratitude before turning around and running to where Satsuki had informed her where Shiki may be.

The area where Satsuki and Sion has met up ay was on the far edges of town, so Sion had to bolt it to the park in order to catch Shiki. And even then, she wasn’t even sure if he would even be there; Satsuki seemed uncertain about his routine, and there was always the chance that he would deviate for this night. Sion figured that the alleyways weren’t a good enough place to hide in during the day - not unless she wanted to become a roasted vampire, of course - so finding him was practically a necessity for her.

Eventually, she made it to the park, and took a minute to catch her breath. She scanned the area to see if there were any alleyways nearby that Shiki could potentially be at. And, to her surprise, there were; a small cluster of building just to her upper left that had been out of her field of vision while running seemed like a solid place to find him. So, the alchemist made her way over, determined to find Shiki Tohno.

It didn’t take too long to find him.

Only a few minute’s worth of exploring was needed to bump into him. Sion could tell it was him when she saw him; he had the same characteristics that Satsuki described him as having, down to the big rounded glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. But the alchemist knew it was better to ask than to make assumptions.

“You there,” she spoke, taking the guy by surprise. “Are you Shiki Tohno?”

“Huh? Oh, uh, y-yeah, I am,” he said, evidently startled by Sion’s sudden appearance. She was obviously a foreigner in a Japanese village, so everything about her must’ve taken him by surprise. “Why do you ask? And... who are you?”

“My name is Sion Eltnam Atlasia,” she began. “I am a member of the Mage’s Association. And I believe you know the whereabouts of a certain individual I need.”

Shiki’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, but he didn’t seem to be too worried. “May I ask who you’re looking for?” he questioned. “It might help me answer your question.”

“...Her name is Arcueid Brunestud.”

After a few exchanges of information and an impromptu battle between the two, Sion and Shiki ultimately decided to team up together to take down TATARI however they could, utilizing both Sion’s Conceptual Weapon and Shiki’s Mystic Eyes of Depth Perception. Sion found Shiki to be of great use, and aided him whenever she could during confrontations with others. But not once in the entirety of her quest to take down TATARI and find a way to cure herself of her vampiric impulses did she forget about Riesbyfe.

Little did she know that Riesbyfe - or at the very least, a very identical version of her - resided within TATARI.

Riesbyfe was surrounded by a cloud of darkness, unable to see any light, or even herself. “The sky is devoid of starlight tonight,” she began, speaking to no one in particular. “I feel like... I’ve been spat out of a pitch-black whale, having emerged from a great darkness.”

“Fulfill your duty, holy knight,” a voice said back to her, taking Riesbyfe by surprise. “Though your body may have been scarred, your faith is forever sacred. So long as your Holy Shield Gamaliel shines, your soul shall sing beautifully.”

“...My... duty...?” Riesbyfe questioned. “What... is my duty? And... who even am I?” Just when she asked that question, like snapping the final puzzle piece into a puzzle, a rush of thoughts, ideas, feelings, emotions, and memories washed over the knight, and she let out a small “Ah” of acknowledgement. “I... remember now,” she spoke up. “I remember everything now... Sion...”

“...Then you know what you must do.”

A light flashed before Riesbyfe, and as if she was teleported, she saw a whole new world around her. She was surrounded by a colosseum with several tall obelisks littering it, with sand engulfing the world outside. But something was immediately wrong. “The sound is... dead,” Riesbyfe commented. “What is this place? This isn’t even a place on Earth.”

“This is the demise of hatred. This is the future of the planet’s death called forth by the True Ancestors to defeat the Night of Wallachia... the Black Land I sought for. Ceasing recalculation.”

“Th-There’s no way... Sion?”

Standing before Riesbyfe was a tall woman with tanned skin and long braided purple hair, adorned in beautiful clothing and many pieces of jewelry. It was Sion, but not the Sion that Riesbyfe was familiar with.

“Correct. Though I may not be the Sion Eltnam Atlasia that you are familiar with, Riesbyfe Stridberg, I am familiar with you. You were created as a part of my defense mechanisms to help preserve the world from its ultimate peril.”

“Ultimate... peril?”

“Affirmative. Much like Zepia Eltnam Oberon before me, I had calculated the future of the world to be a horrific one, wrought with death, disease, and demise. However, while his action to counteract that fate was to produce the Night of Wallachia, I instead chose to attempt to preserve it. The manuscripts of humankind are unparalleled elsewhere in the universe, and will serve as a reminder of the many accomplishments our species had made during the duration of our existence.”

Riesbyfe stood there dumbfounded at the information the Sion before her just shared with her. The idea that everything around her was the future that the Earth was heading towards shook her to her very core. But she was comforted by the fact that, even after everything had occurred, Sion had attempted to preserve humanity. And so, she knelt down before her.

“Very well then,” Riesbyfe spoke up. “I, Riesbyfe Stridberg, the Maiden of the Holy Church, the one who was entrusted with the Holy Shield Gamaliel, shall act as your knight and protector on your journey.”

“...Understood. You are tasked with guarding the End Hall, and preventing anyone from entering the Black Land. Go forth and do your duty.”

Riesbyfe nodded, and got up. “Understood. I shall take my leave now,” she said. She turned around and headed over to the End Hall. When she arrived, she noticed how the place was a golden chamber, with pillars that seemed to stretch up an insanely high distance, and metallic orbs surrounding the place. She was in awe of its magnificence, but understood that she had a duty to fulfill.

But she wasn’t expecting the person to come by first.

She had thought that the people who would enter the End Hall would be nothing more than nameless nobodies whom she could defeat easily and protect the Black Land from. But instead, she came face to face with the Sion that she knew.

“It can’t be...” Sion audibly gasped. “You’re... Riesbyfe?! Y-You should be-!”

“...Yeah. I don’t get why I’m still alive either,” Riesbyfe admitted. “But you, if anyone, should be able to analyze exactly what I am, right?”

Sion fumbled a bit with anxiety as she mentally calculated everything, stammering a bit as she did so. When she finally spoke up, all she could do was meekly utter “It’s... such a... cruel...”

Riesbyfe heaved a heavy sigh. “You always had a bad habit of mistrusting your closest allies Sion,” she said. “...Fine then. Even I have a vague idea of what kind of thing I am.”

“Riesbyfe... I’m sorry,” Sion apologized. “With how things ended three years ago, and this repetition of TATARI... the possibility is just so small, and-“

“...Nothing but bad news, huh?” Riesbyfe grimly laughed under her breath as she closed her eyes. “...Yeah, I get it.” In an effort to consolidate her old friend, she opened her eyes and gave a soft smile. “I didn’t want to let you know, but I’m not really worried about it,” she began. “I didn’t ask that because I wanted you to save me. I wanted to see if you were able to accept your role in all this.”

“...Then you really are this TATARI’s defense mechanism.”

Riesbyfe nodded to acknowledge the validity of Sion’s statement. “Well, it’s your move Sion,” she started. “If you leave quietly, I won’t pursue you. However, if you wish to go any further...”

“...We fight,” Sion uttered, finishing off Riesbyfe’s statement. “Is there no other way, Riesbyfe?”

“None,” the knight abruptly said to cut off any notion of saving her. Riesbyfe got into a fighting position, pulling out Gamaliel in an effort to intimidate the alchemist. “My name is Riesbyfe Stridberg. As the knight tasked with protecting you, I swear upon this holy shield... I will pierce right through you.”

The two girls stood there, staring each other and figuring out what the other was going to do, until Riesbyfe took the initiative and lunged at Sion with Gamaliel in hand. Sion threw herself backwards to dodge Riesbyfe’s strike before pulling our Barrel Replica and unleashed a fury of bullets at her. Gamaliel blocked all the strikes, save for the one that grazed Riesbyfe’s shoulder, causing the silver haired woman to stiffen in pain and take a few steps back.

Bearing with the pain of the strike, Riesbyfe charged towards Sion, only for her wrist to suddenly be tied up by the whip the alchemist always carried around, causing her to drop her weapon. The alchemist swerved around, grabbed Riesbyfe by the hand, and threw the knight at one of the pillars, causing the pillar to crack upon impact as the knight fell over. Sion swiftly ran over and hit Riesbyfe’s head with the back of Barrel Replica to ensure she was down for the count.

Kneeling down and pressing two of her fingers on her friend’s neck, Sion sighed in relief when she still felt a pulse. “It’s just as I predicted,” she said to herself. “I can still make it in time.” She got up from the floor and began to run past where Riesbyfe was guarding. “Wait for me, Riesbyfe,” she uttered under her breath. “If I eliminate TATARI before the dawn breaks, you should be able to remain in your current form...!”

When Sion finally made it to the Black Land, she was overwhelmed with what she was seeing around her. She could instinctively tell that everything was wrong, and that everything was barreling towards destruction at breakneck speeds in the reality she was now in, if it hadn’t already done so. And in front of her stood a figure much like herself, yet acted in a much different manner.

“The corpse moves. You maintain your humanity, even at the brink of death. A living doll, controlled by the strings of your own thoughts. Sever those strings, and begone. Your objective should’ve been fulfilled the moment you arrived at this place.”

“...Yes, I suppose the old me was ultimately aiming the reach this place,” Sion spoke up. “If that’s been achieved, then my existence no longer has any meaning. If one’s objective is to be fulfilled at the hands of another, removing yourself from the equation is the most efficient choice. However... you are the one who will be removed, Sion Eltnam Atlasia.” The alchemist chuckled a bit. “Although, in that state, I suppose you no longer have any ties to that name.”

“You are correct. I am one of the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors. Dust of Osiris, the underworld given form by TATARI. I am Sion Eltnam Atlasia’s human life that was consumed by the Night of Wallachia three years ago. I have taken control of TATARI’s functions, and thus surpassed the Night of Wallachia.”

“...Wallachia always did say that vampirism was a fatal disease. I was reborn as a vampire when he bit me,” Sion reminisced, thinking back to the events that had transpired when she and Riesbyfe were at the Italian village on that fateful night. “And you’re the me that was lost at that time, reborn as TATARI.”

“You are a corpse given life through vampirism. I lost my body and lived on as a human within TATARI. We are both remnants of Sion. Lords of the Dead, we are both seeking the same conclusion.”

“...The same conclusion...” Sion muttered to herself. “Just to make sure, exactly what is this conclusion you seek?”

“If we are both the same, then you should know with my having to say it.”

Sion acknowledged the statement given to her. “...I figured you would say that,” she grimly commented. But, as if a light went off inside her mind, she scoffed. “You’re perfect as a simple processor, but when it comes to true intelligence, you’re third rate.”

She turned her attention to the figure before her properly, and stared it down with intensity. “I’m sorry to say this, but I have evolved,” she began. “I’m no longer suited for such pessimism. I’ve chosen to fight this disease not as a higher power, but simply as someone with a stake in it.”

“...That is degeneration. You are clearly lowering the quality of your life.”

Sion shook her head. “No. Even if I lose the functions I had before, I’m optimized for my current environment,” she explained. “Hence, I have evolved. It’s true, my newfound emotions are detrimental to Sion Eltnam Atlasia’s abilities. But in return, I have been given a new future. A hopeful dream for the future, one that you will never see.”

“...I see. As foolish as it is, I will not argue the matter. I will simply end your life, Sion. Dust of Osiris will carry out its function in ten minutes. I won’t even need Barrel Replica’s assistance to deal with a remnant like you.”

“That sounds good to me,” the alchemist said. “Neither of us are the same me from three years ago. We’re each walking our own path. This battle will prove once and for all... just which one of us is the true remnant of Sion!”

Taking the alchemist’s words as a challenge, Dust of Osiris surrounded the Black Land in a crimson hue akin to that of blood before vanishing, only to reappear riding a giant black mechanical being with golden trimming and red eyes. Sion immediately recognized it as being Hermes, effectively acting as a tool to attack the alchemist with. With the summon of Hermes, the battle between the two was underway.

The alchemist leapt up into the air before unleashing a fury of bullets into Hermes, managing to cause a considerable amount of damage to the mechanical being, but not nearly enough to take it down. As a form of retaliation, Dust of Osiris commanded Hermes to swipe its massive claws at Sion, directly throwing her far away and causing her to unceremoniously land and tumble around on the floor.

Getting up after the attack, Sion began to run towards Dust of Osiris as she saw Hermes preparing to smash one of its claws into the ground. As it did so, it emitted a red wave as the floor around it crumbled up into debris and went flying. Sion took that as an opportunity to become airborne once more, hopping around like a rabbit on the debris until she was high enough in the air, and landed a dive kick into one of its eyes. Dust of Osiris howled in pain when the eye on Hermes shattered, and Sion figured that the two were connected in some manner.

As the alchemist jumped off of the mechanical being, Dust of Osiris became agitated and began to charge Hermes with her magic supply, a mix of red and white flowing between the two. The energy from the magic shot upward, leaving the two evidently fatigued afterwards. A cloud formed above, and pillars of light began to form as the cloud crackled. The pillars seemed to be targeting Sion, so she jumped around dodged each and every strike, managing to scrape by any serious damage.

Looking up at her opponent, Sion could tell the end of the battle was drawing near, so using the last of her bullets from within Barrel Replica, she unleashed hell onto her opponents, with each bullet causing severe wounds on both Dust of Osiris and Hermes. The mechanical being began to power off before it limply fell over, crushing the body of Dust of Osiris underneath one of its claws. The battle had come to an end. Sion was the winner.

Satisfied with the result of the battle, the alchemist immediately turned tails and began to sprint back to the End Hall to see if Riesbyfe was still okay, still alive, still existing. And, much to her relief, she was, though still unconscious from their earlier encounter. Sion knelt down beside her and placed the knight’s head on her lap, causing the knight’s ponytail to come undone and let her silver hair flow freely. Acting quickly, Sion used her magic to connect Riesbyfe to herself, since she was disconnected from Dust of Osiris when the latter fell in the earlier encounter. And after a minute of waiting, Riesbyfe finally slowly began to woke up.

The knight grunted slightly when she shifted her body in Sion’s lap. “Where am... Sion? I’m... still alive?” she questioned.

The alchemist nodded. “Yes. You’ve been a part of TATARI for three years,” she explained. “But you were absorbed without being disassembled, and remained as Riesbyfe. If tonight’s TATARI - Dust of Osiris - finished, you would’ve been sucked back inside. I thought that if I could destroy TATARI first...”

“...Meaning what?” Riesbyfe asked. “The concert hall got smashed up, and I was saved just because I happened to be outside of it...?” She looked away, almost acting pensive, before looking back at Sion and speaking up again. “But Sion... aren’t I going to disappear anyway? I mean, that concert hall was the only thing keeping me alive.”

Finding amusement in Riesbyfe’s concert hall analogy, Sion used it to explain everything. “Yes. Normally you’d be right,” she began. “But now I’ve become your new concert hall. After I destroyed Dust of Osiris, I took ownership of you from her.” The alchemist smiled a bit as the knight had a small blush creep over her face. “It feels like I’m impersonating TATARI, but by allocating two of my memory partitions, I can keep you stable.”

Riesbyfe looked mildly confused as Sion explained everything. “Um... so I’m staying alive by eating half of your functions?” she asked. “Like resident software?”

Sion looked down at the knight, dumbfounded at her comparison. “I’m stunned,” she admitted. “I never thought I’d hear you say something like that. And now I can’t help but think that I’ve turned into your power button...” The dumbfounded look switched out on the alchemist’s face, being replaced with a look of mild entertainment and endearment. “Riesbyfe,” she started. “You’re actually just a sloppy, frustrating, and difficult person who doesn’t think about the consequences, aren’t you?”

The knight laughed a little in embarrassment as the alchemist described her. “Dang, you got me!” she laughed. “But that’s all a misunderstanding. Although it’s not entirely wrong... Sion, are you disappointed now that you know the real me?”

Sion shook her head. “Of course not,” she told Riesbyfe. “Well... maybe a bit. But you know what they say; nothing lasts forever. I always thought you were a bit strange. That maybe it wasn’t you never had any doubts, but that you simply never gave tomorrow any thought.”

“That sounds about right,” Riesbyfe confessed. “Unlike you, I’m not very good at thinking about the future; I’m the type that lives in the present. Ah, I suppose that might make me seem prudent to other people, though.”

“It did. You had me completely fooled,” the alchemist told her. “Oh right. You never had the slightest intention of fooling anyone, did you?”

Riesbyfe nodded to confirm Sion’s suspicions. “So, now what?” she asked. “What are you going to do with me?”

“You belong to me now,” Sion said, causing yet another blush to form on the knight’s face. “I won’t give you back to the Church. Since you’re occupying two whole memory partitions, you’ll need to work to earn your keep.”

“I see,” Riesbyfe said as the blush on her face melted away while she processed Sion’s statement. “....Yeah, let’s go with that. It’s a shame I have to split from the Church, but as long as I can keep protecting people, I’ll be happy.”

“Then our contract is complete,” Sion affirmed. “Let’s get going, Riesbyfe.” Ushering the knight to stand up, the alchemist swiftly followed suit, dusting herself off a bit. “First, we need to introduce you to all of my friends in town. Then, we’ll need to procure a place with plenty of shade so I don’t end up exposing myself to sunlight and bringing upon myself unnecessary pain. Afterwards, we will work things out... together.”

Riesbyfe offered a smile to the alchemist, one of warmth and determination. “Alright then,” she spoke up. “Let’s get going. I can’t wait to meet all the friends you’ve made here within the past three years.”

Hand in hand, the two girls made their way out of the End Hall and back to Misaki Town, where Sion introduced Riesbyfe to each of her friends, one by one, until they arrived to meet Satsuki. The three conversed amongst themselves and agreed to set up an impromptu shack in one of the alleyways to act as a base of sorts from the sun during the daytime, with Riesbyfe acting as the guard and the one to carry out any tasks they may have during the day. They quickly got to work, and within a matter of minutes, it was set up for them to enjoy.

Satsuki opened the flap to the tarp that acted as the door for their shelter, and began to make an exit. “I’m going to go out to get us some snacks,” she said. “Do you want anything, Sion-chan? Riesbyfe-san?”

“I’m good. Thank you for asking though,” Riesbyfe said, waving her hand.

“May you fetch some water for us?” Sion asked. “We may become parched during the day, and it would be wise to stockpile beforehand.”

Satsuki nodded in agreement. “Alright, sounds good to me!” she chirped. “I’ll be back in about half an hour!” And with that, Sion and Riesbyfe were left alone in the base they had set up for themselves.

Sion sighed in relief. “It’s quite remarkable how we were able to assemble all this on such a short notice with Satsuki,” she commented. “We can always update the material if need be, but for now... we have a home. Isn’t that nice, Riesbyfe?” The alchemist turned to see her friend, but was surprised to find that she was kneeling down in front of her, the knight’s head hanging low.

“Sion... you told me how you were using your memory partitions to preserve my life, right?” Riesbyfe started. “And in return, I would have to serve you for the duration of our lives. Allow me to make it official on my end then; I, Riesbyfe Stridberg, solemnly swear to dedicate my entire being to the protection of Sion Eltnam Atlasia. I will be your shield, and I will be at your every beck and call. I live to serve you... Sion.”

“...Riesbyfe, please stand.”

The knight did as she was told, but was taken by surprise when the alchemist cupped her with her hands and pulled her in for a kiss on the lips. However, she swiftly melted into the warmth of the kiss, and pulled Sion closer to her. When their lips pulled apart, blushes were unabashedly spread across both of their faces, and they were breathing heavily.

“Riesbyfe,” Sion started speaking in between breaths. “You don’t need to do that. You are not just my shield, nor will you ever just be my shield. You’re an important person to me; a very important and precious one. I mourned your death for what felt like forever after it occurred, and I have not once ever forgotten about you ever since we first me. You changed me, Riesbyfe. You changed me for the better. So I don’t want you to stand my be and act as my shield; I want you to stand by me and act as my equal, my partner. Do you think you can do that?”

“...I do.”

The two pulled each other close again for another kiss, losing their sense of reality at the moment to embrace each other in an onslaught of passion and love. But it was cut short when a voice spoke up behind them.

“Oh, I’m sorry, am I interrupting something?”

Sion and Riesbyfe quickly pushed each other off and spun around to face the person behind the voice, a line of saliva that connected the two breaking apart and leaving their faces red with embarrassment. And upon seeing who the person behind the voice was, Sion quickly identified the person in question as being Arcueid.

“Hi to you two again!” she greeted the two. “Satsuki-chan told me you two would be in here, but I didn’t think I’d catch you two locking lips. Sorry if I ruined the moment!”

“I-It’s fine,” Sion stammered, uncharacteristically flushed. “I assume you wanted to share something with us?”

“Hmm, not really,” Arcueid admitted. “I just wanted to chat. But I came at a bad time, so I think I’ll just uh... leave you two be. I’ll be sure to tell Satsuki-chan to stay out for a bit.” The vampire made her way over to the flap, and pulled it open. “Enjoy yourselves!” she teased, and walked through the tarp’s flap, leaving the two girls alone once more.

The two stood there in an awkward silence, before Sion spoke up. “...Do you... want to continue?” she asked.

Riesbyfe’s face cracked a small smile that barely contained her excitement. “Y-Yeah,” she stuttered out. “I-I-I really do.” Sion, in response, smiled.

“Me too.”

The alchemist pulled the knight back in for a kiss once again, and the two stood there, thankful for everything that had transpired since their first meeting that had led them to this very moment, embracing each other and finally being able to properly express the love that they felt for each other. They were thankful for the ups and downs, the hardships they had encountered. But most of all, they were thankful for the other being a part of their lives.

**Author's Note:**

> Woah, my first proper WLW fic. Go me!
> 
> As always, I strive to improve my writing however possible, so if you want to, please feel free to leave some constructive criticism! Thanks!


End file.
